"The United States is committed to standing with Jordan to face the threat posed by Daesh… We are honored to partner with you," US Ambassador Alice Wells was quoted as saying in the announcement during a ceremony to handover the eight helicopters.
The helicopters are "another tool for safeguarding" Jordan’s border with Syria and Iraq, where the terrorist group has grown significantly since 2014, according to the announcement.
The delivery comes just days after Jordanian forces killed several militants linked to the Islamic State in the northern part of the country.
Since 2015, the United States has expedited the delivery of more than 26,000 rifles and machine guns to Jordan, in addition to some 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition, hundreds of bombs and about 5,000 night vision devices to support Jordan’s "immediate operational requirements," the US Embassy in Jordan said.
US Vice President Joe Biden is set to travel to Amman on March 10 as part of his Middle East tour, where he will meet with King Abdullah II to discuss the US-led coalition’s campaign against Daesh and the situation in Syria. He will also meet with Jordanian troops who are training alongside US forces in the coalition’s campaign against Daesh.
